


Second Chances

by Alley_Walk (AlleyWalk_writes), Tod der Fata Morgana (AlleyWalk_writes)



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Exorcists v.s Demons, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Aria: Land of Clear Skies revamp, Desert, F/M, Gen, High School, M/M, No beta we die like illiterates, Nonbinary Alma Karma, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Trans Allen Walker, Violence, it's just, mute character, so awesome those are tags now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-07-23 17:09:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20011858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlleyWalk_writes/pseuds/Alley_Walk, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlleyWalk_writes/pseuds/Tod%20der%20Fata%20Morgana
Summary: In one world, the Exorcists of the Black Order fight against the Akuma and the Noah Clan in The Holy War to prevent the Three Days of Darkness.This is not that world.In this world, Exorcists of the Black Order Secret Intelligence Agency fly under the radar in the modern world, fighting demons to combat the Earl and the Apocalypse he brings.One change on the path Allen walks might mean everything. It might change a little at first, making him stumble. But then the path might diverge sharply, in a place he hadn't intended it to go, a place filled with briars and thorn bushes and things he's not sure he wants to step in.With one change to Allen Walker's life, his path and those of others in his life diverge.And when it hits, none of them will be ready for it.





	1. night one - sear

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all!
> 
> This is a new fic of mine. I hope you like! ^^
> 
> I have the second chapter in the works, so I felt pretty okay posting this one. ^^ Though I'd much rather have a bit of a buffer, I was too excited for this not to post it! :D
> 
> This is mostly an establishing things/set up chapter, so there are no real trigger warning for this that I could find. Tell me if I missed anything!

**night one** **•** **sear**

* * *

As soon as the new kid walks into the room, Kanda can sense a pall of demonic energy hanging over him. He has white hair hanging in a short ponytail, storm blue eyes with deep brown skin and an angled scar going through his left eye and down the left side of his face. He sits in a desk near the front of the classroom, and Kanda curses to himself as the teacher comes in and the class starts. 

He’s already gotten enough demerits for interrupting class on Black Order business. The teachers understand, but too much attention drawn to him and the students will start to notice. And the Black Order–while known to the public–likes to keep a low profile. Kanda glares at the back of the new kid’s head as the teacher calls him up to the front of the classroom.

He bows formally to the class. “Hello. My name’s Allen Walker and I just moved here from Illinois. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” He says with a polite smile.

Che. What a tightwad. 

Still. Allen Walker, huh? At least he can put a name to the face to the demon he’s about to kill. 

If the demon has fully possessed the body, that is. Kanda supposes he’ll have to test that.

He glares at the demon at the front of the classroom, quickly averting his eyes when the demon looks his way, a slight frown on his face.

The end of class couldn’t come sooner.

* * *

Allen is walking through the hallway on his way to his next class when someone grabs him from behind. His textbook clatters to the ground as they wrap their arm around his neck in a chokehold, a searing pain going through his forehead as something is pressed against it. Allen growls, grabbing the person’s arm and breaking their hold. He throws them over his shoulder, however they twist in mid air, breaking the hold Allen has on their hand to land on their feet.

They turn around, and Allen sees the person is the same strange long, dark haired boy that he had felt had been hostile towards him from the moment class started. It had been easy to see, from the way the calm surface of his soul had roiled at the sight of him. His cobalt blue eyes glare at him, and he holds up a silver cross in front of him. Allen looks at it in disgust.

Anger boils up within him, and he reaches into his pocket and flips open his badge. “Allen Walker, Black Order SI. What the fuck are you doing?!”

The long haired blue eyed teen scowls and reaches into his pocket with his other hand, flipping open a similar badge. “Kanda Yuu, Black Order SI. What the fuck are  _ you _ doing, getting  _ possessed _ by a  _ demon?!” _

Allen’s shoulders tense. He wants to rip this guy’s face off. Above him, the ceiling light flickers and dies, darkening the space around them. Allen takes a deep breath and bites out scathingly, “you think being from the Black Order you’d be skilled enough to tell the difference between a  _ demon possession _ and a  _ curse mark.” _ Taking off the glove on his right hand, he removes the contact lense from his left eye. 

Kanda blinks, and Allen knows what he sees. Blood red, completely eclipsing both pupil and iris. The late bell rings, and Allen sighs, knowing he'll have to go back to the bathroom to fix it, now, and be even later. Not the best track record for his first day.

Folding his badge closed, he stuffs it back into his pocket and goes to find the men’s bathroom. “Wait,” Kanda calls. Allen huffs, turning back around. Now what does he want? “Here.” Kanda says, and then he’s throwing an eyepatch at Allen’s face. Allen quickly snatches it out of the air with a glare, and Kanda smirks. Allen looks down at the eyepatch and shrugs. Putting it over his left eye, he shoves his contact lense into his pocket–it'll be virtually useless after that, but he doesn't have his case with him.

“Come sit with us at lunch, and I might consider not reporting you for showing your badge to a complete stranger.” Kanda says in a satisfied tone of voice as he turns and walks away, long dark hair swaying from side to side as he walks.

_ Smug bastard, _ Allen thinks. He throws him the finger with an icy glare and doesn’t miss the way Kanda’s soul ripples with amusement. Allen huffs, turning on his heel to walk towards his next class. ASL, he thinks. He just hopes he doesn’t get too lost. But he has a fix for that. As soon as Kanda is out of sight, Allen whispers, “Psst, Tim. You can come out now.”

Allen’s pocket shifts, and then a snake-like creature slithers out, using it’s dark insect-like legs to climb up to Allen’s shoulder. He folds his jet black wings onto his back, his pride obviously ruffled at having to stay hidden. Allen strokes his golden eyeless head, his scales smooth despite the birth defect that had nearly gotten him killed by his breedmate. The small demon ‘churrs’ and pushes his head into Allen’s hand.

“Do you think you could get me to my next class, Tim?”

Tim bristles as if the idea that he would do anything else was of grave offense.

Allen laughs. “Well go on, then.”

Timcanpy lifts off of Allen’s shoulder with a flap of his wings, Allen following as they make their way down the hallways, twisting and turning while the lights flicker above and the cameras short out, their feeds turning to nothing but static.

And Allen grins.

* * *

When lunch period rolls around, Lavi is looking around the cafeteria curiously for their mysterious new ‘guest.’ The lunch room is filled to bursting with students all rushing to grab their food from the lunch line and eat it in time for their next class, salad and other mysterious substances fallen to the floor and abandoned for the lesser peons to deal with. Lavi sighs, glancing down at the mysterious text Kanda had mass texted them once again.

_ *Yuu-chan~* changed name to *Kanda Yuu* _

_ Kanda Yuu: stop changing that, stupid rabbit. [11:45 a.m] _

_ Kanda Yuu: also [11:45 a.m] _

_ Kanda Yuu: there’s a new exorcist at our school. [11:46 a.m] _

_ Kanda Yuu: he’s a little beansprout who emits a demonic aura [11:46 a.m] _

_ Kanda Yuu: you can’t miss him [11:46 a.m] _

_ Kanda Yuu: I backed him into a corner so he’d come eat lunch with us today, so don’t screw things up [11:47 a.m] _

_ *Mayonnaise_Lover* has entered the chat! _

_ Mayonnaise_Lover: What do you mean, Yuu? A demonic aura? [11:49 a.m] _

_ Mayonnaise_Lover: Yuu? [11:55 a.m] _

_ *Lavily* has entered the chat! _

_ Lavily: he’s always like this. [11:55 a.m] _

_ Lavily: I wonder… [11:56 a.m]  _

_ *Lavily* changed the name *Kanda Yuu* to *Yuu Can Do It!* _

_ *Yuu Can Do It!* changed the name *Lavily* to *Stupid Rabbit* _

_ Stupid Rabbit: ha! I can do better than that! [11:58 a.m] _

_ Yuu Can Do It!: che. so annoying. [11:58 a.m] _

_ Lenalady: you guys… [11:59 a.m] _

It had only devolved from there.

But. It had been fun.

More fun than Lavi had had in awhile. 

While Lavi gets to spend time with his friends at school, a lot of the time he has to focus on Bookman duties or make up on homework from when he’s off on missions. It’s the lot he has in life, but he can live with it. He has Gramps, after all, and… 

Lavi shakes his head as his thoughts darken. He’s not going there today. Today is going to be a good day, full of meeting new, mysterious people and making new friends. His eye snaps up when he senses a demonic aura enter the cafeteria. He meets Lenalee’s eyes, and her lips pull into a frown. “Do you think that’s him?” She asks, her gaze sharp.

Lavi frowns as he gets a better feel for the demonic energy in the room. It does feel… different than what he’s used to. Not exactly malevolent, but more like… watchful. Wary. Lavi places his hand over his chin. “Maybe,” he says thoughtfully.

Alma walks over to sit with them, Kanda leading the way. “Do you guys feel this aura? It feels sort of creepy, doesn’t it?” Alma asks, as they sit down and open their packed lunch. The runes on the plastic container glow briefly before Alma opens it, taking out their fresh chicken salad sandwich and dipping it in mayonnaise before taking a bite.

Lavi makes a face. He doesn’t envy Tiedoll for having to make these two their ridiculously picky lunches. Lavi’ll eat just about anything so long as it tastes good.

“Well at least it’s not as bad as I first thought.” Kanda mutters to himself, taking a bite of his soba, the noodles hot and steaming.

Lavi’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean by that?”

_ “He means _ that he attacked a totally innocent person because they happened to have a curse mark.” A white haired boy says irritably from behind Kanda, and Lavi snorts, totally understanding the ‘beansprout’ reference now. Not only is the teen white haired, he’s also a little on the short side.

But wait, what did he just say?

Lavi takes a look at Kanda’s “say anything, and I’ll fillet you with Mugen,” expression, and his lips twitch, before he bursts into laughter. Kanda scowls and starts to stand. Lavi cowers like any sensible person would do. “No, wait! Wait, I’m sorry! Just-heh, ehem.” He clears his throat and falls into a perfectly convincing coughing fit. Kanda narrows his eyes suspiciously and sits back in his seat, and Lavi winces as he’s kicked hard in the shins. He was mostly expecting it, but still.

Lavi simply grins at him, unrepentant. The white haired teen has sat down next to Lenalee and is eyeing them oddly. Lenalee smiles at him uncertainly, her ears pinned back to her head and her tail flicking agitatedly. Still, she says with a smile, “My name’s Lenalee, this is Alma and this is Lavi. And I think you’ve already met Kanda.” She says with a touch of mischievousness.

“‘Met’ is one way to put it,” Allen grumbles. He smiles politely, “still, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. My name’s Allen.” Lenalee relaxes slightly, and Lavi shoots her a reassuring smile. Lenalee smiles warmly back at him, and Lavi shoots her a wink.

Lavi understands her worries. Her kind have been discriminated against since they were first created. But Allen doesn’t seem like that kind of guy.

“So, how does your curse mark work?” Lavi asks curiously. He’s dying to know.

And Allen grins.

* * *

Allen inserts his key into the lock, unlocking the door and closing it behind him with a bang. “Tyki, I’m home!” He calls, just as a massive blood red tiger leaps on top of him. Allen and the tiger roll onto the ground. The giant tiger’s jaws come flashing towards his face, and Allen shields with his left arm. The big cat’s teeth clamp around his arm, catching against his sleeve, not able to penetrate the scaly skin beneath his fangs.

“Are you done?” Allen asks with slight irritation, pushing at the red tiger’s head with his right hand.

The big cat blinks and let’s go. His face takes on an amused expression.  _ Maybe, _ Tyki teases, getting up off of Allen and stalking languidly into the living room.

Allen huffs, standing up and wiping at his clothes in an attempt to get all the Tyki fur off of him. He only partially succeeds. “You’re such a hassle,” Allen complains to Tyki.

Tyki’s tail flicks in amusement.  _ You picked me, boy. Not the other way around. _ Jumping up onto the couch, Tyki curls up in his usual spot. After making dinner, Allen sits next to him, propping his arm up on his hindquarters as he eats. Making a quick decision, he decides to turn on the news. There seems to be nothing special about it, and he’s about to turn it off when a special announcement airs.

“…the Exorcist Daisa Barry is confirmed missing and most likely dead. Our hearts go out to the Black Order in this time of…”

Huh. Well that was new. Allen hadn’t heard anything about this from his time in the Black Order, but if it was announced by them on the news, then it was most likely true. Allen frowns. The Black Order never announces anything unless it’s vitally important due to their insistence to keeping a low profile. But what could be so important about one Exorcist’s death?

Deciding to think more on it later, Allen gives one last hug to Tyki and goes to get changed into his uniform. It was black with hot pink accents, with a hood that could cover his head and long sleeves, with boots that went up to his ankle and the end of his coat that went to mid thigh. And of course there were his gloves. Fixing his contacts in the mirror, he stuffs a sleepy Timcanpy into his pocket and makes his way towards the Black Order Headquarters.

* * *

Kanda keeps his arms crossed across his chest, slouching in his seat as he stares down Komui in his paperwork-littered office. “A rookie? Me?  _ Really?” _

If Kanda knew one thing and one thing only, it was that if they started sending rookies out with  _ him _ on missions, they'd be wetting their pants from day one.

Not that he cared. He'd just really rather not be subjected to Tiedoll's patented "I'm not disappointed in you, but I think you could have done better," face. 

Komui appears apologetic but stubborn. "It was a last minute decision I admit, but this rookie is not a rookie in a traditional sense. I think he'll be a good match for you."

Kanda scowls. What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

"Sorry I'm late," a familiar voice says as the mentioned Exorcist walks through the office door. "I was held up." Allen Walker says, and Kanda quirks an eyebrow. The beansprout glances around for a moment before he looks to Kanda and his eyes narrow. "You." He says venomously. Kanda smirks at him.

"You know each other? Lovely!" Komui says, blithely ignoring the dubious atmosphere of the room.

"Yes… quite." Allen says, obviously having to bodily force himself to sit next to Kanda. 

"What's the mission, Komui?" Kanda asks curtly, ready to get done with this mission and return home to his helicoptering dad and his two helicoptering siblings. After all, they had a funeral to plan. 

The Order always gave their Exorcists funerals, but they were contrived, impersonal things, open to anyone willing to come and honoring the Exorcist's feats in death, not in life. So families within the Order gave their comrades more personal funerals, to honor their deeds in life as well as death. 

Daisa would be no different.

Komui sobers. "For your mission, you'll be going to Italy. There, is a city where there's rumored to be a hidden Innocence."

Komui pauses.

"The city is named Aria, the land of clear skies."


	2. night two - heat

**night two • heat**

* * *

“Is this really necessary?” Kanda grouches, arms crossed over his chest from where Tapp is currently dying his hair a disgusting brown with one of the Science Department’s mysterious blends of bullshit science. Tapp grins down at him, obviously enjoying his suffering. Kanda scowls. You destroy the guy’s robot  _ one time _ , and he has it out for you for life.

“Of course it is!” Johnny insists from where he’s covering up the beansprout’s scar with makeup that he insists is nearly permanent. Kanda will believe it when he sees it. “Well you obviously can’t go looking like yourselves! Otherwise your cover might be blown at your school. And we’ll need to come up with aliases…” He mutters, placing his hand on his chin and inadvertently getting some of the makeup on his face.

Allen looks at Johnny, obviously amused. “Um, Johnny. You’ve got a little…” He gestures to his chin.

“Ah!” Johnny exclaims, and immediately rips open a small package and wipes his face with the strange blue cloth within. The deep brown makeup comes off immediately, and Johnny sighs, relieved. “I’m sorry Allen, Tapp. I hope I didn’t offend!” Johnny apologizes sincerely.

Allen smiles. “It’s fine, there’s no need to apologize. You didn’t do it on purpose, after all.”

Tapp shrugs. “It’s whatever. Let’s just get this stuff finished, alright?”

Johnny nods with a smile, taking out a brush to give Allen a freckle under his eye. “So, Allen. What color hair dye do you want?”

Kanda smiles devilishly. Finally someone will share in his suffering. It’s just icing on the cake that it happens to be the beansprout. 

“I can’t use hair dye, remember?” Allen says to Johnny, and Kanda scowls.

Kanda scoffs. “What, too chicken?” He taunts. It figures that he would have to dye his hair while the rookie would get special treatment.

Allen scowls. “Actually, I can’t use hair dye because of my  _ curse mark.” _ He growls with a glare, and Kanda smirks. He actually sort of likes this guy. He reminds him of Alma. And of course, winding someone else up rather than the other way around is a definite plus.

Kanda crosses his arms, sitting back in his chair with a raised eyebrow. “Really? Why not?” He asks with clear skepticism in his voice. He resists the urge to flash the beansprout a devilish smile when he bristles, growling and clenching his fists.

“Actually, that is true.” Johnny interjects with a helpful tone to his voice. “I tested it myself. After a few hours his scar became inflamed and the dye simply fell out of his hair.” Johnny says with a perplexed shrug. He holds up a finger. “Hold on, I think we have some wigs in the back.”

After coming back with the wigs, Johnny places several on the low table between them. There are long haired wigs to short haired wigs, all varying in different colors from blond to red to black. Kanda notices Allen’s eyes drawn to a reddish brown wig with disheveled spiky hair that would about fit into the same style ponytail that he's already wearing.

Johnny notices too. “That one?” He asks excitedly. Fucking Christ, that guy is on way too much coffee. Kanda gives him a month before he collapses. 

Allen frowns slightly, interlacing his fingers together with something dark in his eyes. Kanda blinks, and the expression is gone, replaced by a smile. “Yes, I believe so.” Allen says, and Johnny nods with a bright smile.

“I’ll have to give you some freckles, then!” He says with a bright smile.

Allen crosses his arms with a huff. “Not all redheads have freckles. Lavi doesn’t!”

Johnny grins. “But still! Don’t you think they’d look cute on you?”

“No!” Allen protests.

Johnny takes out the brush with an impish grin. “Now come on, Allen. Do it for science! For science!”

Allen gets up out of his chair and runs out of the room. Johnny pursues. “For science!!” Johnny cries.

“I hate science!” Allen yells back. 

Che. Idiots.

Tapp huffs, amused. Then he presses a button, and the bag around Kanda’s hair constricts like a vacuum seal, before deflating. “All done,” Tapp says, sounding disappointed. His face splits into a devilish smile, vengeance in his eyes. “Now it’s time for the makeup. How do you feel about a few scars?”

Kanda scowls.

Like hell. 

* * *

The aircraft touches down a bit outside the city, its ultra-light shielding making it virtually invisible. Allen and Kanda quickly disembark, and the aircraft lifts off into the sky, leaving them in the middle of a desert. 

That’s right.

A desert.

Allen had thought he had heard Komui wrong, the first time he had told them the parameters of their mission. But reading the mission file soon brought things to light.

_ “Aria was once a prosperous city with much commerce and tourism due to their creation of life-like dolls that could dance or sing any tune or dance set that they had heard or learned perfectly, and with the passion and vibrance of a professional singer or dancer. These dolls brought people from all over the world to see their performances, and professional singers or dancers would come to look on with envy or test their skills against them.  _

_ But then, in 1994, disaster struck. For some reason likely involving Innocence, all the dolls excluding one stopped working. Things were quiet for a while. The citizens got used to their new situation, and slowly, the tourists stopped coming, and money began to run dry. Poverty ran rampant in the town, people losing their homes and living in the streets, food running low and being rationed out to those who could pay for it, while the rich hoarded their money and holed up in their mansions. _

_ And then, in 1996, disaster struck once again. It started with a grain of sand. The grain turned into granules, which turned into layers on the streets which refused to be cleared no matter what the citizens did. The sand piled up ever higher, forcing the citizens to band together, rich with the poor, to build to higher ground, until the lower portions of the city were swallowed up into the depths of the sand. The sand then spread outward, creating what was later called the Ravaging Desert. _

_ Please come back home safely, you two~! _

_ \- Komui,” _

Allen shakes his head, focusing on the present. The wind blows, sending his hair and clothes flying while harsh grains of sand sting Allen's face and eyes. The desert sand shifts and sinks treacherously under his feet as he walks, making the trek twice as hard as it normally would be. The blazing hot sun rises high overhead, baking the sand beneath his feet and causing sweat and sand to gather in places they really shouldn't. A flash of red darts at the corner of Allen’s vision, and he turns his head, only to find it gone. There is, however, a rather familiar soul hiding behind the sand dunes.

Goddamnit, Tyki.

Timcanpy stirs in Allen’s pocket, poking his head out curiously. Allen quickly covers his head up with his coat and hopes to any God listening that Kanda didn’t notice. Allen blinks, and then squints. God, it was hot. Was that… someone coming towards them? Allen frowns, he and Kanda sharing a glance. They walk forward to meet the person, Allen readying his left arm to activate while Kanda holds a hand on the hilt of his sword. It turns out to be a fourteen to fifteen year old kid, and Allen relaxes as he gets a look at his soul. There’s no demonic aura to it at all. 

The kid has scruffy black hair, dark eyes and light brown skin, wearing a worn fabric over his head to keep away the sun. “D-Do you guys need any help?” He asks, looking nervous.

“Who are you? How did you know we’d be here?” Kanda demands suspiciously.

The boy straightens. “I’m Inali. And I knew you’d be here because the desert told me so.” And he smiles. “Now come with me. I can take you where you need to go.”

Allen learns along the way that Inali is a boy with a kind, though nervous disposition. He doesn’t seem to know anything about the Innocence. He’s quite polite, though.

“So what are your names?” Inali asks curiously.

“Kinoshita Yasu.” Kanda–or Kinoshita he supposes–says curtly.

Allen gives a crooked smile. “You can call me Red.” He says, pushing back painful memories as he swallows down the lump in his throat. 

“Great to meet you,” Inali says with a nervous smile.

“And you as well,” Allen says, his smile gentle. Inali seems to relax a bit, though he still seems uncomfortable around Kanda.

And then they finally make it to the city.

* * *

Lala picks her way through the broken ruins around her, the fallen stone and abandoned courtyards being slowly encroached upon by sand. This level had been abandoned long ago, the humans building upwards into the sky, forever trying to escape the all consuming sand. 

But Lala never forgot.

It was here where she loved him.

And when she lost everything.

_ “No matter what happens, promise me you’ll never stop singing.” _

_ “I promise, Guzol.” _

Except she had broken her promise.

On the night of Guzol’s death, Lala had lost her voice.

She could no longer sing, no longer dance. No longer entertain people as she was supposed to. 

All the other dolls had been put away when they became broken. It makes Lala wonder when they will put her away too now that she, too, is broken. But they never do. It makes Lala wonder, and it makes Lala hope.

Maybe she’s not as broken as she thought.

And there’s one thing that Lala can do.

She can be a good friend.

And there’s one person who really needs a friend right about now.

* * *

They arrive at the city to find it bustling with people. In some areas, anyway. Kanda finds Aria to be one of the poorer cities he's visited in the past, with an air of stubborn survival that makes the worn stone and sand bitten walls seem sturdier than they really were. Most of the city is an abandoned ruin, with a residential district, an industrial district, and a commercial district on the outskirts. On the shoreline of the city is the Aria docks, long grown to disuse with the few ships docked broken and rotting. On the edge of the city is a small forest of pine trees, thriving through their impossibility despite the odds.

They would have to check that out later. But first they'll canvas the city, ask people questions to see what they know.

Kanda scowls at Inali's back, his previous words coming back to him.

_ "I knew you'd be here because the desert told me so." _

What did he mean by that? It sounded suspicious, if you asked him. Which the beansprout hadn't, because cooperating in silence was different than agreeing aloud. 

Which. Was mostly Kanda's fault. 

But fuck it.

“Do you want to question people or should I?” Kanda asks tersely.

Allen looks at him with surprise, his lightly freckled face and reddish brown hair contrasting with his deep brown skin and slate grey eyes. He frowns. “I think splitting up would be more efficient. We could cover a lot more ground that way.”

Kanda frowns. 

He has a point. But the beansprout is only a rookie, and hell if he’s letting him out of his sight.

“We’re in a strange city with unknown dangers. Sticking together would be safer.” Kanda argues.

Allen bristles, clenching his fists with a challenge in his eyes. “I think I can take care of myself.” He snaps.

Oh, for the love of… 

“Fine.” Kanda snaps. “But don’t come crying to me when you get mugged in the streets.”

“Um, you two…” Inali begins. 

But Kanda ignores him. He storms off and hopes that whatever intel he finds was worth the headache.

* * *

Allen sighs. That guy is such a headache.

Allen turns to their guide. “What were you saying, Inali?” He asks with a polite smile.

Inali seems to have eased up a lot now that Kanda was gone, and he smiles back as he says, “Well, I just wanted to tell you that there are rooms reserved for guests on the lower floors.” He points to one of the towering stone buildings, each level becoming minimally smaller until the top of the building forms a conical top. All the new buildings are built this way, in fact.

“Thanks for telling me.” Allen says. “Well, I’m going to be heading out now.” 

He turns to go and is stopped by Inali saying, “Wait!” Allen turns to look at him inquisitively. “I could go with you, if you like.” Inali offers.

Allen would almost like that, if it weren’t for the very familiar soul he had spotted just around the corner. “I wouldn’t want to burden you. I’m sure you have more important things to do with your day.” Allen says kindly.

Inali opens his mouth. Closes it. “Yeah. Of course.” Quietly, “of course I have more important things to do today.” 

Inali smiles, but it’s obviously faked. “I’ll see you later!” He says, and Allen says the same. 

When he’s finally left, Allen scowls, turning the corner and punching a very surprised Tyki Mikk in the chest. Tyki blinks at him, startled. He’s leaning against the wall, his dark curly hair hopelessly mussed up by the wind, his deep brown skin complimenting his chocolate brown eyes. He’s wearing the same loose threadbare wear as the people living here, the mix of red and gold fabric complimenting him. Tyki takes another bite of the raw half-eaten lizard in his hand, his face smeared with blood as he closes his eyes in obvious enjoyment.

“You idiot! Why did you follow me here?” Allen chastises him angrily. He looks at the blood on Tyki’s face with distaste. Can’t he at least use a napkin?

Tyki smiles devilishly. He lounges against the wall in the way only a smug, self-satisfied cat could. “Come on boy, it’s your first mission. You can’t blame me for being curious.” He says, taking another bite of his lizard and chewing loudly. He slurps up its tail like it’s spaghetti and chews and swallows, licking his lips with obvious pleasure.

Allen sighs, exasperated. “You’re going to draw unwanted attention if you keep eating raw lizards off of the ground.” He can’t take it anymore. Taking out a handkerchief from his pocket, he reaches out and gingerly wipes Tyki’s face with it. Tyki smiles in amusement.

Allen huffs at him and drops the soiled handkerchief into the pocket with Timcanpy in it. He can hear Timcanpy begin to immediately devour it, churring happily. 

Tyki raises an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure eating a few lizards won’t be seen as that strange around here. I saw this one guy using a tree branch as a back scratcher.”

Allen winces at the mental image and then frowns at him. “You need to leave.” 

Tyki keeps his eyebrow raised and smiles devilishly. “Oh? And why’s that?” He asks, curious and amused.

Allen takes in a deep breath through his nose to calm himself. Yelling at Tyki wouldn’t solve anything. It would probably just attract attention to them, which Allen  _ really _ doesn’t need. “There’s another Exorcist here and he’s probably not going to react nicely to me  _ hanging out _ with _ a demon.” _

Tyki rolls his eyes, taking out a cigarette and clenching it between his teeth. He quickly takes out a lighter and lights it, inhaling deeply before exhaling a cloud of smoke. “You’re overreacting. So long as I don’t use any demonic energy, he won’t be able to sense me. It’s fine, boy, relax.”

Allen clenches his fists. “If you get caught, I get caught, Tyki!”

Tyki’s expression turns to something unreadable. “Now you know that’s not true, boy.” He says with a smile.

Allen’s eyes harden with resolve. “It is for me.”

Tyki’s eyes soften, and he reaches down and ruffles Allen’s hair. “Alright boy, I’ll stay away. But I’m sticking close.” He says, waving a finger at him. “See you later, boy.” He says, turning and walking away with a backwards wave of his hand.

“...See you.” Allen says quietly to himself. 

He has a bad feeling about this.

With a shrug, he starts making his way through the city, asking people questions about strange occurrences or odd things happening there.

“You mean other than the fucking desert?” One man asks belligerently. A lot of people seem to ask that, in fact. 

He does get some useful information, however.

“Oh, it’s just awful! People are disappearing lately, and the whole town is terrified of being next.” 

“Oh. I remember there was one person who disappeared and came back! It was Lala, the doll. A shame about her voice…” 

“Where can I find Lala?” Allen asks a kid eating… something.

“She’s usually at the old stadium at this time of day. It’s huge, you can’t miss it.”

Allen meets up with Kanda at their room. Inali must have filled him in, because he’s inside the room and unpacked by the time Allen gets there. Allen, having already unpacked after talking to Tyki, sits down on his dubiously clean bed and asks, “So, what did you hear?”

Kanda huffs, obviously agitated by something. “There are some disappearances going on, and the doll, Lala, is connected to them somehow.”

Allen sighs. “That’s what I’ve gathered as well.” Allen perks up. “I've learned where she might be right about now. Do you want to head over?"

Kanda grabs his Exorcist coat, slinging it over his shoulders. He scowls, his dark green eyes intense. "Anything to get out of this room." He grumbles. "Come on. Let's go."

Donning his coat, Allen follows Kanda out into the city. 

They had a doll to find.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, this was mostly an info dump chapter. Sorry about that, y'all. But I promise cool things happen next chapter! Also, I hope you like how much I diverged from canon. I sure do. ^^
> 
> Tell me what you think!
> 
> Comments? 
> 
> Kudos?
> 
> See y'all next chap!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanda meets Tyki despite Allen being against the idea, and there are some disagreements all around, some of the rather violent nature...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for panic attacks and blood/violence. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! ^^

**night** **three • snare**

* * *

Allen and Kanda walk into the ruins of what was once a stadium, the large circular ruins looming up around them. Its benches are broken down and rusty, the top edges of the ruins crumbling into bits. There's sand at the bottom where, presumably, the rest of the structure has been buried. Despite this the ruins still stand, pieces of cement and broken, twisted metal, over forty feet tall, the whole thing groaning with the force of the wind.

It was, quite frankly, a disaster waiting to happen.

It makes Allen completely understand why the people living here abandoned places like this. They were simply too dangerous to live in.

Allen's eyes locked on a girl with long wavy blonde hair, pale peachy skin and sky blue eyes. Allen would almost think she was human if he didn't see the dark cracks spider webbing around her right eye like fractured glass. She's standing in the middle of the ruins, looking up at the clear blue sky with an almost wistful expression on her face.

"Are you Lala?" Kanda demands, and the doll spins around with a surprised look on her face.

She makes a motion with her hands, and Allen remembers that one woman's comment about her voice.

_ 'Do you know ASL?' _ Allen signs with a querying look.

The doll's face lights up, and she smiles _. 'Yes, I do!' _ She hesitates. _ 'And yes, I am. But why are you asking?' _

Allen reaches for his pocket and flips open his badge, Kanda following his lead and doing the same. "I'm Archagent Red of the Black Order, this is Archagent Kinoshita Yasu."

Lala's eyes widen. Her hands stall for a moment, before she signs,  _ 'you're… from the Black Order?' _

Allen nods gravely. "Yes. I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you a few questions, if that's alright with you."

"Whether it's alright with her or not doesn't matter." Kanda says. "She  _ has _ to answer our questions. It's the law."

Allen sets his jaw stubbornly and meets Lala's eyes. "Is that alright with you, Lala?"

Allen hears Kanda sigh, muttering, "this is fucking idiotic."

Allen ignores him. Lala signs hesitantly,  _ 'I… I guess it's alright. What do you want to know?' _

Allen looks to Kanda. "She asks what we want to know."

Kanda turns and scowl at her. "What do you know about the disappearances? Is it connected to the Innocence?"

Lala's hands rise and then fall again, as if unsure what to say. Her face becomes hesitant and Allen’s eyes widen as he reads what she signs.

“She says that she’s friends with the Innocence. And… that she’s not the only one.”

* * *

After Allen is finished with his mostly useless interrogation, they leave the doll to its own devices and wait outside the stadium building. The plan is simple: if the doll is somehow connected to the Innocence, then they need to follow it and find out where it goes so it will hopefully lead them to the Innocence.

Blending in with the shadows, they settle down and wait.

After what must have been an hour later, the doll wanders out of the stadium ands starts heading towards the markets. Which is no good for them, because the markets are packed with people, stalls set up on either side of the street with people selling their wares and eager customers pushing and shoving to get to the front. Kanda himself uses several well placed elbows to shove through the crowd. Except… where the fuck did that damn beansprout run off to?

Then he sees him several feet behind him, trying to catch up, except he seems to be having trouble breathing. Wait, no. That’s a panic attack. Goddammit! Kanda glances back and catches a retreating glimpse of wavy blonde hair. With a curse, he turns the other way, striding towards the beansprout and grabbing him by the hand. He stiffens, then seems to notice Kanda.

“What… are you doing… we need… to go after her…” He wheezes through his rapid breaths.

Fuck. 

Kanda. He’s no good at this. He knows how to help Alma because he knows Alma, but this… he just met this guy. He doesn’t even know what’s wrong.

“Come on, boy. Let’s get you out of this crowd.” Kanda looks up to see a man with mussed up dark hair, brown eyes, and deep brown skin reach down and grab Allen.

“Hey!” Kanda says, grabbing his arm in a tight grip. “Just who the fuck do you think you are?”

The man lifts an eyebrow. “His older brother, of course.” With a heave, the man who might be Allen’s older brother carries Allen in his arms and away from the crowd, holding onto his hand and telling him to breathe with him all the while.

He leads them to the commercial district, setting Allen down at a table that’s been shaded from the sun outside. The man sits beside him, and Kanda narrows his eyes and sits on Allen’s other side. Something about this guy rubbed Kanda the wrong way. He wasn’t sure what, but he bet it wasn’t anything good.

Allen sighs, rubbing his forehead. “Thanks, Tyki. You… really saved me.” He says, and was that… annoyance, in his voice? He looks at Kanda, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”

Kanda crosses his arms and leans back in his seat. “Just make sure to tell me before it becomes a problem next time.”

Allen sighs. “Yeah, okay.”

Kanda frowns. He doesn’t really care, but it would be best to know about it for future reference. “What was the problem?” He asks.

Allen shrugs with a rueful smile and says, “I… don't particularly like crowds.”

Kanda snorts, and Tyki meets his eyes and smiles in amusement. He almost reminds him of a playful cat, except more deadly. Kanda breaks eye contact with a scowl, however he can hear Tyki’s amused laugh.

Kanda  _ really _ doesn’t like this guy.

Allen clears his throat with an awkward cough. “So, Tyki. What are you doing here?”

Tyki smiles slyly. “It’s your first mission, boy. You can’t blame a man for being curious.”

Kanda scowls. 

This is just great. He’s got a rookie on board with him, and now he’s also got an overly curious family member along for the ride as well. 

Great. Perfect.

A waiter walks up to their table. He’s of Asian descent with black hair and black eyes, wearing slim rainbow and blue, pink, and white beads all around his neck. Allen seems to eye the beads with interest, but Kanda disregards them. They’re not important to the mission. 

“Hello, my name is Nobuo Aikido and I’ll be your waiter for the day. Is there anything that I can get for you today?”

“Do you happen to have any lizard on the menu?” Tyki asks, and Allen groans and puts his face in his hands.

Nobuo’s face brightens. “Why, yes, we do! Do you want it pan seared or fried?” 

Tyki places his hand on his chin. “That’s a bit of a difficult question…” He says thoughtfully.

There’s the distinct sound of someone’s shoe stomping on someone else’s foot, and Tyki winces, shooting Allen a look. Allen smiles innocently back. Kanda looks between them, trying to divine the purpose of this, when Tyki says, “Alright, I’ll take pan seared.”

Nobuo nods with a smile. “Alright. How about you, cutie?” He asks Allen, and Kanda blinks at that, and, looking the man over again, his eyes land on the beads.

Ah. So he’s gay.

Kanda frowns. He’s never really… thought about sexuality before. It’s just never been important. Not to the mission, and not to himself.

But he kind of gets that it’s a big deal for some people.

“Oh, I’ll take…” Allen orders more than twenty things on the menu, and Kanda abruptly decides to leave all of this on the Black Order’s tab. 

“Oh, and, can you tell me where you got those beads? The blue, pink, and white ones?” Allen asks hopefully.

“Sure thing, cutie! I got them at a shop called…” Kanda tunes them out until it’s his turn to order, and upon finding they don’t have any soba orders the closest thing to it on the menu.

After they’re done eating, they go to the shop. It’s a small yet sturdy one story building with umber painted walls, seemingly untouched by the bite of the desert wind. It’s sign hanging above the door proclaims  _ Sorcery and Sigils, _ and the bell chimes welcomingly when they open the door. The shop inside is filled with shelves and displays showcasing numerous pieces of jewelry, mostly beads with odd symbols carved into them. Kanda stops and stares at one that looks eerily familiar. As familiar as the symbol on his own chest. He snorts. Sorcery and Sigils indeed.

Allen eventually picks out a couple, one just a regular necklace of blue, pink, and white beads, and another that the Sorceress claimed would give protection to him and those around him.

Kanda will believe it when he sees it.

Some of his skepticism must have shown on his face, because as they're walking out of the shop Allen asks, "what, Kanda? Don't you believe in Sorcery?"

What a question.

"Of course I do. But that doesn't mean that every two-bit magician is a real Sorcerer." Kanda bites out. He takes a deep breath. "Why, what's it to you?"

Allen throws him a smile. Kanda can't help but feel a tiny bit calmer under that smile. "My Master is a Sorcerer. Trust me, I'd know a fraud if I saw one."

Kanda's brows furrowed.  _ His Master…? _

"Hey boy. How about a round of poker when we get back to the apartment complex?" Tyki asks, lighting a cigarette as they walk between buildings, the sand moving and shifting underneath their feet. Kanda wrinkles his nose at the smell. Allen seems unbothered. Kanda vows never to visit their house unless absolutely necessary.

"That's fine with me." Allen agrees, nudging Tyki companionably in the side. Tyki smiles fondly, slinging an arm across Allen's shoulders.

Kanda frowns. "What the fuck do you mean, when 'we' get back to the apartment complex?" Kanda doesn't want to have to deal with this annoying civilian any more than humanly possible. His plan was to just dump him at some random complex and leave it from there. Why should he care what happens to some random rookie's tag-along brother?

But this.

This is a hassle.

Tyki smiles smugly as they come upon their apartment complex. "I asked around to see where you two were staying. And what do you know, there's an open room right next door!" He says, gesturing to the door beside theirs, grinning around the cancerstick between his teeth. 

"Che." Kanda strides past him towards their room, and as he passes him his chest pulses in pain. He brings his hand up to the left side of his chest, where his curse mark is searing like a branding iron against his skin.

It felt like a warning.

But against what? 

Leaning against the wall, Kanda tells Allen, “you go on in. I need to stay out here to clear my head a bit.”

Allen looks at him incredulously. “In this heat?”

Kanda scoffs. “Just go in already.” Crossing his arms, he leans against the wall, the heat being emitted from its sunbaked surface making him sweat twice as much as before. Damn this Exorcist coat. Wearing black in this heat was practically asking to absorb as much of it as was humanly possible.

“Well, alright… see you later, Tyki.” Allen says.

Tyki smiles and lifts his hand in a wave. “See you later, boy.”

Allen smiles at him and then closes the door to their room. Tyki leans against the wall next to him, puffing on his cigarette. He takes out a pack of cigarettes and holds them out to Kanda. “Want a smoke?” He offers.

“Che.” Kanda turns away, wiping sweat off of his face. Damn this heat. And the rub was that it didn’t seem to be bothering Tyki at all. At least Allen had sweated like a normal person. Tyki seemed totally unaffected. 

Kanda pauses mid-thought as an inkling of an idea comes to him.

Tyki can:

  1. Cause strong reaction to a curse mark.
  2. Be unaffected by something humans would usually be affected by.



Kanda looks at Tyki speculatively from where he’s peacefully enjoying his cigarette. Could he really be a demon? It was possible. Most demons corrupt their host body’s soul until the only thing left is the demon. Some demons are born as demons, but those tend to be weaker and cannot take on a human form.

But he seems so… human. Most demons don’t act that way unless it’s an act, and this seems genuine to him.

Well. Only one way to find out.

Turning on Tyki, he just has time to see his surprised look before his fist hits his face, nose cartilage crunching beneath his fist. He pulls back his hand and stares at the black blood splattered on his knuckles.

“Well that wasn’t very nice,” Tyki chides, but he’s already turning, already running at a superhuman pace. 

But Kanda isn’t exactly human either.

He kicks the demon into the door of its own room, the door caving with a tremendous crack, the demon falling through. Kanda draws his sword from its sheath with a rasp of steel, just as Allen opens the door to look out of their room. “Kanda? What’s going on? Where’s Tyki?”

“Your brother’s a demon.” Kanda says harshly.

Allen’s eyes widen. “Kanda, wait-!”

But Kanda is done talking. He leaps through the broken doorway and into the darkened room within. It has the same sparse conditions as their room does. Rotten wooden floors with carpets that are desperately trying to cover them up, with a lone couch, a nightstand, and a bed. Kanda holds his sword in front of him, on guard.

A blood red tiger leaps over the couch, twice the size of a real tiger, fangs flashing towards his face. Summoning his strength, Kanda slashes his sword through the air, only to lose his balance and fall to the floor when his foot breaks through the rotten floorboards, his sword flying out of his hand. The netherworld insects hit nothing but air as the demon pounces upon his chest, and Kanda can feel his ribcage crack. Kanda brings up his arm to block his face just as the demon’s jaws close around his arm, fangs sinking in with a loud crunch of breaking bone. 

The demon meets his eyes, and it seems almost sad.  _ Sorry, Samurai Boy. I can’t die just yet. I have a certain boy I need to look after. _ Kanda’s eyes widen in shock, and then the Tyki’s paw sinks into his chest. Pain pulses throughout his chest, and Kanda sees white. Tyki’s paw comes out of his chest stained in red. Kanda wheezes, desperately reaching for his sword, and blood bubbles up in his mouth. He coughs, collapsing on the ground. His chest is filling up with fluid. 

_ I’m drowning in my own blood. How poetic. _ Kanda thinks.

And suddenly there is rain falling on his face. Except when he looks up, the beansprout’s face is above him. Why is he crying? Stupid idiot, run before your adopted brother tries to kill you, you stupid

**_you’ve died again, have you, boy?_ **

_ shut up. _

**_you know, I wonder what your new friend will think of you once he sees you rise from the dead._ **

_ shut the fuck up and let me wake up already! _

**_well, if you insist. I won’t stop you._ **

Kanda blinks, looking up at the ceiling of Tyki’s apartment. He turns his head, hearing voices. “Tyki you-! You killed him!” Allen sobs, his face buried in Tyki’s fur. 

Tyki’s ears flatten.  _ Well what did you expect me to do, boy? Let him know my secret? _

Allen closes his eyes. “I could have talked him around. He was my  _ friend, _ Tyki.”

Kanda moves as silent as a shadow. He removes his foot from the hole it was in, crouching as he reaches for Mugen. Tyki bares his fangs, his tail lashing agitatedly.  _ I’m your friend too, boy. Or are you starting to forget that with all this Black Order nonsense? _ Grabbing Mugen, Kanda winces as the blade drags across the ground, scraping against the hardwood floor.

As one, both Allen and Tyki both turn to look. But Kanda is already on his feet, sending out a wave of destructive power right at Tyki. There’s a blinding flash of soft green light, and the smoke clears. Allen is standing in front of Tyki, wearing a feathered white cloak and with a slim black arm with gold accents and four feet long metallic claws, his arms crossed in front of his face.

Kanda meets the grey eyes of Allen, his eyes as hard as steel. “Tyki. Go.” He says harshly, his face determined

_ I’m not leaving without you, boy! _ Tyki says. 

“It’s okay. I promised, remember?” Allen tells it with a smile.

The demon lowers its head. Then it lifts it and pricks its ears. It turns and runs out the door. Kanda frowns. He couldn’t let it get away, shouldn’t let it get away. And yet… 

That emotion in its voice. It went against everything he had been taught about demons, who were ruled by their hunger for human souls, vicious and deadly, and little else. True, some demons had a bit more character the more powerful they were. But it was never enough to matter.

Not until now.

Kanda marches right up to Allen and pushes him in the chest. “You fucking knew! You knew what he was!” He yells furiously.

“Of course I did! He’s my friend!” Allen growls.

Kanda’s lips twist, and he looks away and sighs. 

Now, the hard part.

He grabs a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket, the runes engraved on them glinting in the light. Allen looks at them nervously. “What are those?”

“I think you know.” Kanda says, a bit tiredly.

Allen’s cloak flares out, knocking Kanda to the ground. He makes a break for it, and Kanda almost wants to let him go. 

Almost.

But he has information he needs, so he springs to his feet and runs after him, his longer strides quickly getting the better of him despite Allen’s efforts to lose him in the alleyways. Kanda tackles him to the ground, pushing Allen’s face into the sand as he puts a knee into the small of his back and starts cuffing him. “Allen Walker you are under arrest for…”

Once both cuffs are on, the runes inscribed on them glow a ruby red. Allen twitches and then his Innocence deactivates.

Allen sighs, then mutters something into the sand.

“What?” Kanda asks, getting up off his back, clamping the cuff to his wrist that will keep Allen from escaping. 

Allen sits up and coughs, sand escaping from his mouth. His whole face and front is covered in it, in fact. It’s even in his hair.

Not that Kanda cares.

“I said, what now?” Allen asks, dusting off the front of his shirt.

_ Fuck if I know. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffy is a cliffy. ^^
> 
> Don't worry, chapter four is already in the works.
> 
> This would have come out sooner, but I ended up rewriting the ending into something I liked better, and now I need to rewrite the fourth chapter from what I've already written. >.< But yeah, I'll try to post it as soon as I can.
> 
> Also, even if it seems like I'm taking awhile, it doesn't mean I'm not working. I write every day, but I have a lot of projects going, so feel free to go check out my other fics. *shameless plug*
> 
> Anyway, see y'all next chap!

**Author's Note:**

> So, Allen and Kanda's relationship.
> 
> It's a bit different than in canon. Mostly because, well... Alma.
> 
> Well, you'll learn more about that later in the next chap!
> 
> For now... kudos? Comments?


End file.
